The performance of computer systems continues to improve as the number of processing cores increases. However, this increase in the number of processors also requires a corresponding improvement in a system's interconnect bandwidth in order for the full performance advantage to be realized.
Fiber optic data links, when packaged close to a processor and/or a switch chip, provide dramatic improvements in interconnect bandwidth and enable high speed data communications over greater distances. Fiber optic data links are typically facilitated by the use of optical transceivers. Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP or QSFP+) optical transceivers are, for example, frequently utilized to interface switches, routers, media converters, and similar devices to optical fibers. The QSFP+ specification supports Serial Attached SCSI (SAS), Ethernet, Fibre Channel, Infiniband, and other communication applications. Each of the four transceiver channels may operate at a data rate of 1 to 10.5 gigabits per second and support a reach of up to 100 meters.